Indexing device



Sept. 24, 1940. J C EHRUCH 2,215,465

INDEXING DEVICE Filed Oct. 30, 1937 i INVENTOR WLO. (7 claim GEIzrLzLch.

Patented Sept. 24, 1940 2,215,465

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INDEXING DEVICE John G. Ehrlich, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application October 30, 1937, Serial No. 171,835

4 Claims. (01. 116-121) This invention relates to bottle caps or stoppers the index character desired. For the purpose of in which an adjustable index is embodied in the inserting a relatively large ball in the groove a cap and it relates in general to adjustable inportion of the wall of the groove may be reduced 7 dexing devices. A particular use of the invention in cross section so as to yield to the pressure of is in connection with medicine bottles Where the the ball when it is inserted. '5 contents are to be used at specified intervals and In the drawing, II is the body of the cap or the adjustable index is so arranged that it may stopper which fits to the neck of the bottle by the be set to show when the next dose is to be taken. screw indicated at l6. An object of the invention is to provide a bottle In Figs. 1 and 2 the ball 33 is rotated in the or container cap with an adjustable index, that annular groove 3| over the corrugations 32 which 10 is readily adjusted, that is comparatively inexare located with reference to the indexing charpensive to make, that is sanitary and that may acters l4 and [5. The groove 3| is undercut on be embodied in a popular form of bottle cap. Anboth sides as indicated at c and c and is deep other object of the invention is to provide abottle enough to engage more than one-half of the ll cap with an indexing member to register with sphere. The projecting part of the ball enables 18 index characters on the body of the cap and that it to be easily moved over the corrugations to is provided with means for retaining the index the position desired and this position points out member in the adjusted position. Other objects the character required. Balls for this purpose of the invention will be more particularly undermay be made from phenolic plastics or similar 20 stood from the following specification and the material, or they may be metallic balls. It is go accompanying drawing, showing a variety of apfound in practice that there is sufficient yield to plications of the invention, and in which: a substance like Bakelite to permit the metallic Fig. l is a top plan view of a bottle cap emball to be forced into the groove wherein it is bodying the invention in which a ball moving in retained in use by the yieldable character of the an annular groove in the cap is used for the plastic. However, for larger balls it may be de- 25 indexing member; sirable to secure a better grip on the ball and for Fig. 2 is an elevation on line 2-2, Fig. 1; this purpose a portion of the wall of the groove Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a bottle stopper is isolated as indicated by the gap 34, isolating having a dropper centered therein and aball type the section 35 so that this portion becomes reof indicator located in a groove surrounding the silient for the purpose of yielding to the pressure 0 stopper; of an oversized ball as it is inserted in the groove. Fig. 4 is a developed sectional view of the groove It is common practice in moulding Bakelite in Figs. 1, 2 or 5, showing the corrugations for plastics to strip the mould before it cools, this retaining the ball in position, and enables the mould to be removed from the under- Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of a modified cut groove 3| without injury to the cap. These 35 form of Fig. 1. balls are fairly uniform in diameter and in prac- This invention is illustrated as applied to bottle tice it is found that a ball of substantially three Stoppers and particularly of the type which are thirty-seconds inch in diameter can be easily made from molded plastics and screw on the neck forced into: a groove the entrance of which is of the bottle to form a closure. The top of the approximately .006 inch smaller than the diam- 4o cap is provided with an annular row of suitable eter of the ball. This ball is retained in the indexing characters and an annular undercut groove and can readily be moved along the groove. groove in which the indexing member is located In Fig. 3 the bottle stopper H is provided with and adjusted to register with the characters. the W of indexing Characters at 36 ear the The groove is corrugated either on the bottom top a d W t t e annular E V 3| for the ball 45 or on the sides and the corrugations are located 33 which surrounds the central portion 31 of the to correspond with the indexing characters of gap and through which the dropper may be inthe cap. These corrugations engage the indexing ser-ted. It should be noted that in this figure member and hold it in place. and in the other illustrations the movable part Where low cost is desired, the indexing memof the indexing system is located on the top of 50 ber may be a ball which is placed in the underthe cap and is substantially protected so that cut groove in the cap or body of the device with as the sides of the cap are gripped to unscrew a portion less than its height or diameter proit from the bottle, there is no likelihood of disjecting above the surface of the body so that it placing the index.

may readily be rolled along the groove opposite The construction in Fig. 5 corresponds with 55 Fig. 2 except that the annular groove 39 is circular and is larger than a semi-circle in diameter so as to grip the ball 33. The corrugations 46 in this construction are also circular in shape.

The invention may be applied in any of the forms illustrated or the construction in these forms may be combined to provide a unitary article. In each case the invention comprises two pieces, one of which is the body of the device and the other is the indexing member adjust-ably positioned on the body. The use of the ball indicator in the groove in the cap has several important advantages: The manufacture is reduced to the cap and the ball, additional parts being eliminated so that it can be supplied at a nominal cost over the plain cap. The ball is exposed where it projects from the groove and When made of metal having a different color from the plastic of the cap it can readily be seen and the indication read. The ball is free to rotate in the groove so that it has rolling friction only and is not likely to jam or to be ejected in the operation of moving it. The ball is a perfectly balanced sphere, it cannot be jarred out of the groove by the falling of the cap, or by knocks. The ball is easily retained in position by the corrugations of the groove which corrugations are protected in the bottom of the groove. The ball always presents a smooth exposed surface and has no protruding parts to become entangled with Wrappings and the like, or to injure the fingers in moving it. The corrugations in the groove slightly raise the ball as it moves over these corrugations so that its movement past the index marks can be counted and determined in the dark by the feel of the movement. In the assembly of the ball in the groove, the ball is snapped into the groove and the cap is thereby completed. The ball may be applied to the groove at any time before the cap is used Which facilitates storage and manufacture.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A bottle cap comprising a molded body removably attached to and forming a closure for the bottle, an annular undercut groove in said body, an annular row of indexing characters on said body having the same centre as said annular groove, corrugations in said groove corresponding with the location of said indexing characters and a solid metallic ball in said groove of larger diameter than the opening of the groove but smaller in diameter than the diameter of said groove, and rotatable in the groove and projecting partially above the groove so that the projecting part may be engaged to move it opposite any index character and said ball being held in the located position by said corrugations.

2. A bottle cap comprising a molded body removably attached to and forming a closure for the bottle, an annular undercut groove formed in said body, an annular row of indexing characters on said body having the same centre as said annular groove, corrugations in said groove corresponding with the location of the indexing characters, an isolated portion of the Wall of said groove, substantially the depth of the groove being reduced in thickness to increase its resiliency and a solid metallic ball larger in diameter than the opening of said groove insertable in said groove opposite the reduced portion of the wall, said ball being smaller in diameter than the diameter of said groove so that it is readily movable in the groove over said corrugations to locate it opposite any index character desired.

3. An indexing device comprising a body formed of a plastic material with an annular undercut groove having corrugations therein and an annular row of indexing characters having the same centre as said groove, a solid metallic ball in said groove of larger diameter than the opening of the groove and projecting less than one half its height above the groove and being smaller in diameter than the diameter of said groove so that it is free to rotate in the groove, said ball being moved opposite said indexing characters by engaging the projecting part, said corrugations retaining the ball in the position to which it has been moved.

4. An indexing device comprising a body formed of a plastic material with an annular undercut groove and an annular row of indexing characters having the same centre as said annular groove and corrugations formed in said groove corre sponding with said index characters, and a solid metallic ball inserted in said groove of larger diameter than the opening of the groove and partially projecting above the groove and being smaller in diameter than the diameter of said groove so that it is readily rotatable in the groove as it is moved opposite the index character desired.

JOHN C. EHRLICH. 

